Tied

Tied by Carian Cole gives me the shivers, but in a good way of course. I was intrigued by Ty and his story when I first read about him in Torn. I thought, "he must be hurting badly to live in complete isolation, away from his family". And he is definitely hurting. While reading this book I realized that words can hurt someone, it can shatter them completely, which is why we need to be mightful of what we say about others. I would put myself in the individual’s shoes and think about if it was me in that position. I can understand Ty and his self-consciousness: one person telling you they disgust you is one thing, but having a whole town staring and letting you know one way or another how they feel about you is a whole new level of dickness. I wouldn’t want people to be a dick toward me. With that being said, Ty and Holly are more connected to each other than we thought, and boy was I surprised by that detail. They were meant to be together. They were meant to find each other to develop and polish that bond that was born years ago. I’m a strong believer of everything happening for a greater purpose, and this story proves this for me. Ty still has so much growing to do, but I think he is headed in the right direction, thanks to Holly and his family. Oh my Holly, you are the strongest character I ever read. You’ve been through so much and still see yourself with a better future. From the start, I was on edge, and I was plagued with angst about what would happen to you. I was acting exactly like your mother thinking that you shouldn’t do this or that, but then I realized you didn’t want your past to define you and why should I let your past define you if you are trying to live with what happened and have a normal life? All I want to say is that Ty and Holly’s relationship develops slowly. From the beginning, they both knew it would develop into something so much more. If you guys are here for the sex, sorry guys, this one isn’t for you, but if you are here to see how two broken souls heal and mold together, then Tied is for you. Holly slowly, but surely, got to a good place in her life and I’m so happy for her. Holly’s mom is a pain in my ass, but of course, I have to put myself in her position. I can understand that her mom is scared of it happening again, and all that, but she is holding Holly back with all these "You shouldn't". Oh, my God, I don’t think I disliked a character so much in my life! Like I mentioned before, I was acting exactly like her mom at first, and then I realized that we were both holding her back. Her mom was making her a prisoner all over again, and that isn't cool at all. How would Holly have a normal life if the individuals that are supposed to help her are tying her down? Thank God for her brother and his girlfriend, they were so understanding and caring. They actually helped her be normal. I’m glad Ty has a family that loves him after all his brooding and self-loathing. I can’t wait for more to come! Ms. Cole, I have so much to say about you here, but I’ll keep it short. All I want to say is that I’m glad I found your books a year ago. You give your characters a voice, and thoughtfully mold and help your characters develop in their own way. I love how you bring the perfect in the imperfect in your characters. You make your stories have an incredible and remarkable impact on your audience, and not every author can make that happen. I had the pleasure of reading and listening to your books, and I can definitely say I’m glad I get to enjoy so much life-changing content. I will gladly continue to support you unconditionally, and I know you won’t disappoint.

This book, besides being hauntingly, exquisitely beautiful, is riveting. You will likely be unable to put it down so a warning is in order: You may want to plan not to leave the house or come out from behind your sunglasses, because you will probably be ugly crying. Tyler Grace is a hero. I need to make that clear from the start. Tyler has a heart of gold. He loves deep, hard, and passionately. He is fiercely loyal and never deviates from his love for Holly. That he has conflicting feelings on how to act on that love made him strong, but vulnerable, and he walked into my heart from the moment he appeared in the book and is firmly entrenched there. Yes, he had unfortunate encounters with fate, and some of his choices as a young man are questionable, but he yearns for acceptance, even though he tends to push people away. He braces himself for rejection frequently, and inside, hopes for love. Holly has had a horrific childhood after being kidnapped by a pedophile and being kept prisoner for 10 years. Becoming reacclimated into society isn't an easy road for her, however, she tackles it, and in the process rediscovers her prince. She never wavers in her love and devotion to Ty. She adores him. He is her soul mate, her protector, teacher, therapist, lover, best friend, and confidant. Holly is strong and fragile at the same time. I never wanted to leave the enchanted life they were able to build for themselves. This book has all the emotions that you could hope for. Carian Cole manages to weave yet another masterpiece with her gift for storytelling. She is an author with such descriptive abilities, that you are left breathless. Her writing is seamless, erotic, haunting, poetic, and exquisitely beautiful. She manages to pull you in immediately and you sail into the story with arms wide open, wanting to experience each emotion with her characters. I have not come across another author in the last 25 years who touches me so deeply. Carian is true to who her characters are, in all of their flawed beauty. The secondary characters in this book are amazing. A sweet, yet bad ass Grandmother, a whimsical fox and devoted dog, a friend/roommate who helps Holly as she readjusts to the culture from which she had been removed, along with the families of both characters. We have the absolute joy of meeting Tanner, Tor and Ty's brother who seems to be heading into his own rough waters. This book has everything you could hope for. Every book that Carian writes is a gift to her readers. She puts so much of herself and her love into her characters, that you feel that you know them almost as intimately as she does. Apart from her genius as a writer, she also donates a portion of her book sales to worthy animal charities. If you like cookie cutter characters, this book may not be for you. However, if you love deep, genuine characters who make you laugh, cry, cheer, and feel their love growing stronger, more passionate, and forever, then welcome to Ty and Holly's world. I can't recommend this book enough.

I'm surprised at how much I loved Tied, because I'm not a fan of some of the tropes involved, namely abused heroine. And Tied features that one in spades. Holly, our heroine, may take the cake on the trope. Kidnapped at five years old, held for eleven years in a hole in the woods, and abused massively... goodness. On the list of abused heroines, she perhaps wins the award. That being said, I really liked the heroine. Holly is brave, sincere, and tackles her new life with a sweet hopefulness that was hugely appealing. Her love interest, Tyler, is the male version of a similar trope, scarred hero. He's a pretty dark character, but I actually loved that. His intense emotions, the fetishes, the anger and rage he suffers were all very appealing. When it comes to Holly, he's a gentle giant, which, of course, is beautiful and romantic. The amount of patience and love he has for Holly is what makes the book work. I had my complaints of course. I wanted to see a lot more of Holly's education and learning process. I wish she had been older when she was kidnapped, because I had to suspend belief hugely that she came back from that experience as rapidly as she did and seemed as normal as she was. As for Tyler, I was annoyed at his inability to take charge of life. I'm not a fan of men who hide. His family deposits money into his account for work he doesn't perform. The author makes a point that he gives most of it back to his family, but still. I also could have done without the epilogue a la The Notebook. I guess those are small complaints. Overall, I loved this one. Holly and Tyler and sweet and brilliant together -- truly best friends. This is a lovely healing story and I don't doubt their true love. I loved the Christmas touch, and the pets... I loved so much of this one.

As a person with a romance novel addiction, I have more books constantly cluttering my mind than I can keep track of. Over the years, there have been countless titles I've loved and enjoyed. I have a list of favorites that I'm always willing to recommend. Then there is the very special category of stories that are set so far apart--they're so freaking phenomenal--that after I've digested the final page, I feel completely decimated because it ended. These are the written journeys you'll never forget. Tied by Carian Cole is the latest edition to this elite list. This book is SO outrageously exceptional that I'm a blubbering mess trying to write this review. It meant that much to me. The characters are that powerful. The story is that powerful. I will say that I've been a long time fan of this author so her latest release was a no-brained purchase. However, I had no clue what the hell was in store for me. Not a damn clue. Carian took her already sensational talent and cranked up the dial to maximum level. Tied is so effing amazing--exactly the type of book I sit around waiting for. This one has unicorn status stamped all over it. What can I say about Tyler Grace? He's everything. He's perfection personified. He's the fictional man of my dreams. My favorite type of heroes are tortured and reclusive, psychologically and emotionally damaged but not beyond repair, with the potential of making ONE girl a very happy. Bravo, Carian. Seriously, well done. Tyler is not an easy man to execute yet you did so flawlessly. I never find enough heroes to my specific liking and you've provided me with an extraordinary example. Ohhhh, Holly Daniels. Ty is a tough act to follow but she's not stuck in his shadow. She's a sweet and beautiful soul that was dealt a real crappy hand in life. She reached into my chest and squeezed my heart with her horrific story. Even through it all, Holly preserves and becomes a stronger person in spite of the terrible misfortune she's dealt with. I love this girl to pieces and she's the only one Ty could ever be with. They're the definition of "meant to be". I'm still obsessing and floundering and lost beyond reason but this overwhelming feeling happens so rarely that I welcome it. Thank you for giving us your words, Carian. THANK YOU. I appreciate your brilliance as a writer and author more than I'll ever be able to festive. You've given me something I'll never forget and for that, I'll be forever grateful. *side note: After you finish reading, Carian has been generous enough to provide an extended epilogue of sorts. KILLED ME. Used another box of tissues on that alone.*

This book was perfection! The storyline was just golden. Age gap, forbidden romance. I absolutely loved everything about this book. Toren was a heartfelt, swoon worthy character. He just wanted to be loved while being rough around the edges. Kenzie was one who knew what she wanted. She was such a caring and loving character. Absolutely enjoyed her a ton. These two together was just sweetness in a can. Like gahhhh so amazing. Tied: "You make me feel a little bit less messed up, and you make me want to be less messed up." -Tyler Okay this storyline was heartbreaking. But whoa so powerful and intense. It's sad right from the start. You just wanna know more about these characters. This one is an age gap, coming of age, fated romance. I loved everything aboutvthis one too. Tyler was so broken. His character was screaming for help. Holly had so much trauma in her childhood that she needed to feel safe. And her prince did just that. They didn't know how much they needed eachother. But yet they did... Their relationship had so many hurdles. It was dynamic and raw and real. How all her trauma was dealt with between them was phenomenally done. And whoa how thier lives really were just always intertwined and meant to be was mind blowing. Can't wait to read more from this series as she writes it. I definitely now wanna read her Ashes & Embers series since they are the parents to Kenzie. I have loved every book of hers I've read. She REALLY writes an age gap perfectly. Also I gotta say her love for animals, and long haired, tatted men shows immensely. Swoon. Seriously so good! Loved these books!!! ❤

From the moment I opened the first page of ‘Tied’, I was hooked to this story. I didn’t know what to expect after reading this book description, but I sure didn’t expect this. The story begins with Tyler, saving Holly from a horrible man that kidnapped her many years ago. Holly returns to her family, broken and scared. And all she wants is for her ‘Prince’, Tyler to come get her so they can be happy. But Tyler is also haunted by his past, and he is not good with people.. especially not with a traumatized girl. Tyler is traumatized as well, and he is a recluse living in the woods. This book was definitely one that will stay with me for a while. Both Holly and Tyler have been through something traumatic, and they find love and understanding with each other. Reading this book through both their point of views, was both amazing, thrilling and sad. I felt all kind of emotions while reading this, just as the characters did. I was shocked by the events in this book and above all I couldn’t stop reading. The romance between Holly and Tyler is just beautiful, touching and definitely not for the faint hearted. It made me feel all warm inside, while wanting to cry my eyes out and I just wanted to hug these characters. It doesn’t happen a lot that I’m both excited and frustrated by an ending of a book. I was excited because Holly and Tyler are happy in the end, but frustrated because it left me with a lot of questions. I just didn’t want to stop reading about these characters. I still wanted to know so much more about them. ‘Tied’ was a great, touching and beautiful read that blew me away. I devoured it in a day and would have read it in one sitting if I didn’t have kids and responsibilities. I definitely loved everything about this read and I’m definitely going to read more books by this author.

This book was amazing. IS amazing. Just - wow. Tied deals with many hard, and almost taboo subject but Cole writes it with grace and such kindness, but without taking away from the pain these two people went thru. Holly is just a little lost bird, and HOW her story unfolds is just - sad. She is kept for 10 years and once rescued, she never gets the freedom she deserves ... until she literally walks. Ty has been thru so much, while all was a terrible accident - it is like he was dealt the worst of life cards. I have always been intrigued by story of children or people who are rescued after years of being in captivity - and it is PAINFUL to read how her parents had no clue how to deal. No clue how to just love her. She spends years in a recovery place trying to learn life skills and how to be "normal" all while they go on with life. All while she never meets her replacement sister (for a YEAR!) or allowed to see her Grandmother... it made me cry endlessly. Ty and Holly are a bad idea but right. They are just the 2 halves that need each other. Their fairytale is what keeps them going and trying. My .5 star off is for the hotel scene with his sister. It is odd, and creepy. And maybe this is a set up for her book but - ugh. When you read it you'll get why I say this. I also want to say that while we can imagine and know and have probably read stories of how children are forced, manipulated and raped by monsters - the way that Cole writes Holly's flashbacks is respectful to all survivors.

I enjoyed the beginning of this book. The developing connection between the two love interests was intrigued. Plus, I’m a sucker for a scarred hero. However, there were just too many places where the story felt unpolished. To start off, the pacing was strange. The storyline either needed to be longer to pull off the slow burn plot, or Tyler and Holly needed to get together sooner. They don’t kiss until the third act of the book, and then everything wraps up relatively quickly. And the engagement, while sweet, felt forced. They had not once talked about being together long term or what they wanted for their futures, but Tyler makes the decision of their future for both of them. Next, there were several plot points that felt underdeveloped. We never know what happens with Holly’s parents or little sister. The arguments with her mom and her sister wanting to spend time with her felt like it was leading somewhere but ended up stopping. Feather is also another example of this. She’s just kind of there throughout the story, but doesn’t add much. She’s honestly not a great friend and their relationship, again, felt forced. There was also a lot of talk from Tyler about getting better and working on himself, but we never get to see it. The epilogue felt wasted. I wish the author would have spent more time flushing out character plot lines. And maybe an unpopular opinion, I think Holly should have gone to New York with her brother (or moved anywhere away from her small town, even for a little while). I wish we could have seen more individual healing for Holly and Tyler outside of their relationship. Overall, it’s not a bad story. I just think the story and character arcs needed to be flushed out more.

Very different from book one, but also a beautiful story. They are meant to be and I loved them together.

I can’t say for certain what I anticipated, but I have to confess that I was truly taken aback in the best way. It was deeply touching and profoundly impactful.

Carian Cole ha un dono per portare la luce anche nelle storie più buie. I protagonisti di questo libro hanno ferite profonde, alcune visibili e altre nascoste. Holly e Tyler sono legati in modi che non riescono nemmeno a immaginare. Sono sopravvissuti all'inferno. Sono a pezzi e non sono più pronti a far parte di un mondo che non riesce a capirli. Eppure, in qualche modo ,i frammenti delle loro anime torturate combaciano. Quando sono insieme le loro cicatrici scompaiono. Sono di nuovo magicamente intatti. TIED fa parte della serie Devils Wolves ma non è necessario leggere il libro precedente TORN per seguire la storia ,anche se ne raccomando la lettura perché è davvero bello.

We first met the hero Tyler Grace in the first book in a short but very memorable scene. We see enough of him in that book to know he is one messed up guy and in Tied we see why. This is an emotional book of two very broken people who, while chances are they will never be “normal”, they fill the needs of each other. Tyler lives in the woods outside the small town he grew up in. He was horribly disfigured when he was 16 and life was good and his future bright. He was pushed into a bonfire suffered horrible burns. He didn’t handle it well and life as he knew it went down the tubes. Then things got worse when he was in a bad motorcycle crash while stoned. He now has scars over scars but the most devastating effect was his father’s death which Tyler holds himself responsible for. Their last contact was a fight so Tyler has multiple issues and guilt is a big one. He now hides in the woods, away from society and has very limited interaction with his family. He is out one night on a regular nightly haunt when he hears a strange noise and after looking to see where it’s coming from, he discovers an underground room and inside is a young woman and her dog. Turns out she has been missing for years when she was kidnapped and held by a monster. Because of Tyler’s rescue she is finally free. The young woman in question, Holly Daniels, is almost 20 and has been held and brutally abused since she was 8. She hasn’t even seen the sky since that time. Her reentry into society does not go well. She isn’t used to crowds, she hates being known wherever she goes as ‘the girl in the hole’ and her relationship with her mother and father is dysfunctional at best. The only time she feels free and ‘at home’ is when she is with Tyler. She recognizes him as someone who suffers the same kind of pain. At first Tyler wants nothing to do with her. He doesn’t feel he’s near good enough. But her quiet and inner strength call to him. I love this book. The reader hurts so much for what they’ve both been through. But the reader also feels how they begin putting the pieces of their shattered lives back together; they need each other to heal. Carian writes such beautiful and memorable characters that she blows me away. They are people who seem so real and people I want to meet and get to know. Tyler and Holly are such people. They are both so vividly vulnerable and incomplete without the other. While normally I would be skeptical of any relationship with a heroine so young, because of what she has experienced and how being with Tyler slowly heals her with his quiet acceptance and love, I have no trouble at all believing that this is a love that will last a life time. In order to survive her imprisonment, Holly read and reread and believed in the fairytale books that helped keep her sane and Tyler is the prince who rescued her. This book truly does have an adult fairytale feel to it and I just find it exquisite. She is an author who appeals to me on every level as a reader and I’m already looking forward to her next book. In the meantime I have this one as well as her Ashes and Ember books to read until the next one comes out.

So having read No Tomorrow and Torn by this author and absolutely loved them both I just had to read this one as well because the way she writes her words and the compassion she puts into her stories are everything and make for addictive reading. I read this one straight through, it is the second book in the Torn series. This is Tyler and Holly's story Tyler being the brother of Tor who was in Torn. Two broken souls, two entirely different people but with a connection that can never be forgotten, this is Tyler and Holly. They have endured so much pain and heartache in their short time on earth, much more than some people get to experience in their life times and we the reader get to discover their journey, good and bad yes of course, but oh my the feels. Raw emotion erupts from every page but also a sense of peace and resolve. Told in duel perspective this book predominantly focus's on the two main characters really, there are secondary characters of course but they are really very much in the background and this is the way it should be because all your attention, the holding of your breath, the moments when your heart sinks to the pit of your stomach, moments of complete and utter joy; this author has given her everything to this book and in turn gifted it to her readers . I love the way this author incorporates nature and animals and their welfare into the books that I have read, it makes it just that little more special. The cover is once again perfect and Carian has captured Holly and Tyler perfectly. That bonus chapter - kill me now, OMG what was she trying to do, gah total perfection, I could hardly see through the tears. Magnificent in all ways possible. Please I need more !!!!